The Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships (OGSAF) is excited to announce new graduate student funding policies for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year. These policies represent a significant investment in the graduate student population and ensure that George Washington University remains a leading institution for graduate study.
These new funding policies:
- Create new assistantship and fellowship roles to align with assistant responsibilities
- Standardize minimum compensation for each graduate student assistantship and fellowship role
- Clarify assistantship guidelines to keep students, staff and faculty better informed about the policies of assistantship positions
New Assistantship and Fellowship Roles
Instruction-related Assistantship Roles
- Graduate Instructional Assistant (GIA): The GIAship is a basic assistantship given to a master’s or doctoral student that assists an instructor in a teaching-related capacity. A GIA is not the instructor of record (IOR), but they assist the IOR as needed including but not limited to: grading assignments, leading lab, recitation or discussion sections, and holding office hours.
- Compensation: All GIAs receive a monthly salary. GIAs may receive an additional monthly stipend and/or tuition coverage at the department’s discretion.
- Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA): The GTAship is GW’s most competitive and largest funding package for a graduate student serving in an instruction-related role. A GTA is a doctoral student that assists an instructor in a teaching-related capacity. A GTA is not the Instructor of Record (IOR), but they assist the course instructor as needed including but not limited to: grading assignments, leading lab, recitation or discussion sections, and holding office hours.
- Compensation: All GTAs receive a monthly salary, monthly stipend and full tuition coverage to support their doctoral study.
- Graduate Student Lecturer (GSL): The GSLship is intended to provide doctoral students with classroom teaching experience. A GSL is a doctoral student who serves as the Instructor of Record (IOR) for a course and is expected to teach the course with minimal direction from faculty. A GSL may also be assigned additional responsibilities to assist instructors. GSLs must have served as a GIA or GTA for at least one semester prior to their appointment as a GSL.
- Compensation: All GSLs receive a monthly salary. GSLs may receive an additional monthly stipend and/or tuition coverage at the department’s discretion.
*Students who will only be designated as graders should be hired through the Student Employment Office as student employees (W1).
Research-related Assistantship and Fellowship Roles
- Graduate Research Assistant (GRA): This is the typical role for a graduate student helping faculty in a long-term research project. A GRA is a master’s or doctoral student who helps faculty members on a specific project and performs research-related duties.
- Compensation: All GRAs receive a monthly salary. Doctoral GRAs receive full tuition coverage to support their doctoral study. Master’s GRAs may receive tuition coverage at the department’s discretion.
- Graduate Research Fellow (GRF): This is a master’s or doctoral student who participates in a research project as a trainee to further their individual educational development. There is no service requirement for a GRF.
- Compensation: All GRFs receive a monthly salary. Doctoral GRFs also receive full tuition coverage. Master’s GRFs may receive tuition coverage at the department’s discretion.
Minimum Compensation Levels for Each Role
Full Time Equivalent (FTE):
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FTE 0.5 = 20 hours per week
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FTE 0.375 = 15 hours per week
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FTE 0.25 = 10 hours per week
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FTE 0.125 = 5 hours per week
- Graduate Instructional Assistant (GIA)
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Compensation: All GIAs receive a monthly salary. GIAs may receive an additional monthly stipend and/or tuition coverage at the department’s discretion.
Please note: For all appointments, the total pay listed below is divided into even monthly payments. Fall semester has four payments (September, October, November, and December). Spring semester has five payments (January, February, March, April, and May). Summer semester has three payments (June, July and August). Any irregular assistantship terms (e.g. six months) will have a salary prorated based on the number of months.
Minimum Salaries:
Effort (FTE) Hours per Week Semester Appointment Academic Year Appointment Summer Appointment 12-month Appointment 0.5 20 $4,750 $9,500 $3,167 $12,667 0.375 15 $3,563 $7,125 $2,375 $9,500 0.25 10 $2,375 $4,750 $1,583 $6,333 0.125 5 $1,188 $2,375 $792 $3,167 - Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
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Compensation: All GTAs receive a monthly salary, monthly stipend and full tuition coverage to support their doctoral study.
Please note: For all appointments, the total pay listed below is divided into even monthly payments. Fall semester has four payments (September, October, November, and December). Spring semester has five payments (January, February, March, April, and May). Summer semester has three payments (June, July and August). Any irregular assistantship terms (e.g. six months) will have a salary prorated based on the number of months.
Minimum Salaries + Stipends:
Effort (FTE) Hours per Week Semester Appointment Academic Year Appointment Summer Appointment 12-month Appointment 0.5 20 $13,050 $26,100 $8,700 $34,800 0.375 15 $9,788 $19,575 $6,525 $26,100 0.25 10 $6,525 $13,050 $4,350 $17,400 0.125 5 $3,263 $6,525 $2,175 $8,700 - Graduate Student Lecturer (GSL)
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Compensation: All GSLs receive a monthly salary. GSLs may receive an additional monthly stipend and/or tuition coverage at the department’s discretion.
Please note: For all appointments, the total pay listed below is divided into even monthly payments. Fall semester has four payments (September, October, November, and December). Spring semester has five payments (January, February, March, April, and May). Summer semester has three payments (June, July and August). Any irregular assistantship terms (e.g. six months) will have a salary prorated based on the number of months.
Minimum Salaries:
Effort (FTE) Hours per Week Semester Appointment Academic Year Appointment Summer Appointment 12-month Appointment 0.5 20 $4,750 $9,500 $3,167 $12,667 0.375 15 $3,563 $7,125 $2,375 $9,500 0.25 10 $2,375 $4,750 $1,583 $6,333 0.125 5 $1,188 $2,375 $792 $3,167 - Graduate Research Assistant (GRA)
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Compensation: All GRAs receive a monthly salary. Doctoral GRAs receive full tuition coverage to support their doctoral study. Master’s GRAs may receive tuition coverage at the department’s discretion.
Please note: For all appointments, the total pay listed below is divided into even monthly payments. Fall semester has four payments (September, October, November, and December). Spring semester has five payments (January, February, March, April, and May). Summer semester has three payments (June, July and August). Any irregular assistantship terms (e.g. six months) will have a salary prorated based on the number of months.
Minimum Master's Student Salaries:
Effort (FTE) Hours per Week Semester Appointment Academic Year Appointment Summer Appointment 12-month Appointment 0.5 20 $8,550 $17,100 $5,700 $22,800 0.375 15 $6,413 $12,825 $4,275 $17,100 0.25 10 $4,275 $8,550 $2,850 $11,400 0.125 5 $2,138 $4,275 $1,425 $5,700 Minimum Doctoral Student Salaries:
Effort (FTE) Hours per Week Semester Appointment Academic Year Appointment Summer Appointment 12-month Appointment 0.5 20 $13,050 $26,100 $8,700 $34,800 0.375 15 $9,788 $19,575 $6,525 $26,100 0.25 10 $6,525 $13,050 $4,350 $17,400 0.125 5 $3,263 $6,525 $2,175 $8,700 - Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)
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Compensation: All GRFs receive a monthly stipend. Doctoral GRFs also receive full tuition coverage. Master’s GRFs may receive tuition coverage at the department’s discretion.
Please note: For all appointments, the total stipend listed below is divided into even monthly payments. Fall semester has four payments (September, October, November, and December). Spring semester has five payments (January, February, March, April, and May). Summer semester has three payments (June, July and August). Any irregular assistantship terms (e.g. six months) will have a salary prorated based on the number of months. The category and hours per week in the table below are for reference purposes only. There is no service obligation for a GRF.
Minimum Doctoral Student Stipends:
Category Hours per Week Semester Appointment Academic Year Appointment Summer Appointment 12-month Appointment 0.5 20 $13,050 $26,100 $8,700 $34,800 0.375 15 $9,788 $19,575 $6,525 $26,100 0.25 10 $6,525 $13,050 $4,350 $17,400 0.125 5 $3,263 $6,525 $2,175 $8,700
Employment Restrictions
Fall and Spring Semester Restrictions
Graduate Assistants may hold multiple assistantships as well as a student employment job or a non-GW-affiliated job, subject to the following restrictions:
- The total assistantship hours cannot exceed 20 hours per week.
- Graduate assistants who are fully-funded may not work more than 20 hours per week during fall and spring semesters. Fully-funded graduate assistants interested in pursuing employment in excess of 20 hours per week may appeal for exemption using the Request for Permission to Work Process.
- Graduate assistants who are not fully funded may not work more than 40 hours per week during fall and spring semesters between all positions (assistantships, student employment and non-GW affiliated jobs).
Summer Semester Restrictions
Graduate Assistants at all funding levels may hold multiple assistantships in combination with a student employment job or a non-GW-affiliated job, subject to the following restriction:
- Between all positions (assistantships, student employment and non-GW affiliated jobs), a student may not work more than 40 hours per week during the summer semester.
International Students: Please note many international student visas are subject to additional employment restrictions. Most F-1 visa holders are limited to working no more than 20 hours per week during semesters they are enrolled in coursework. Please consult the International Services Office to verify any visa requirements prior to accepting employment.
Definition of Fully Funded:
For Academic Year 2024-2025
Master's students: receiving a minimum of $8,550 (for fall, spring or summer semester) or $17,100 (for the entire academic year) in a combination of assistantship service payment and/or stipend.
Doctoral students: receiving a minimum of $13,050 (for fall, spring or summer semester) or $26,100 (for the entire academic year) in a combination of assistantship service payment and/or stipend.
*Please note that tuition awards do not count toward the funding thresholds listed above.
Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP) Subsidy for Graduate Assistants
All graduate assistants (GIAs, GTAs, GSLs, and GRAs) and graduate research fellows who have enrolled in the GW Student Health Plan and are fully funded (GWSPH and SMHS excluded), will be eligible for a subsidy towards the cost of the plan. For more information about the “fully funded” qualifications, please see our Health Insurance Subsidy webpage.
Additional Questions?
For more information, please contact The Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships (OGSAF) via [email protected] or by phone (202) 994-6822.